Status

Identity

Citizenship

Marital Status

Occupation

Commander of the Alpha Flight Space Program; formerly adventurer, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., US Air Force Special Operations intelligence agent and captain,[13] pilot, NASA chief of security; Woman Magazine chief editor, author, freelance writer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security chief of tactical operations, instructor in "Training Day" program, salesgirl (Note: Carol's intelligence work required her to claim to be working for several agencies, including the C.I.A., the (Department of Defense, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Though she did work with many of these agencies, she was a USAF employee[5])

Education

Extensive military training and espionage techniques, acquired BA while in military

Contents

History

My name is Captain Marvel... I am an Earthling and an Avenger. But today I stand as one with the settlers of Torfa, who claim this planet and its resources as they were freely given in the aftermath of the Behemoth disaster... They are a peaceful people, but I am a woman of war. If you move against them, you move against me. I am willing to die here today, for this cause. I have made my choice... Now you make yours.

Early Years

Carol Danvers grew up as the oldest child of three in a traditional Boston home, with a contractor father who believed in the merits of hard work. When he built their Cape Cod summer home, Carol insisted on working as hard as her two younger brothers, trying to make equal in her father's eyes. A voracious reader, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut and traveling to distant planets; as a teen she even hitchhiked to Cape Canaveral to view a launch there. Her father however, could not accept women as men's equals, and when financial troubles meant he could only send one child to college, he chose middle child Steve despite Carol's superior grades.[18]

U.S. Air Force

Carol's military career

She turned 18 just a few months later, and the following day she turned her back on her father and joined the Air Force, intending to be a pilot and to get a college degree via the military. Her brother Steve's death in military action would eventually draw Carol back to her family, but she still never felt truly accepted by her father. She quickly rose to the top of her Air Force class, taking the call sign "Cheeseburger". While flying an experimental jet through Arabic air space, however, Carol was shot down and captured by a man named Ghazi Rashid, who tortured her for several days. She managed to escape (despite a broken leg and serious injuries), reach a CIA safehouse in the area, and provide key information to the intelligence community. This incident led to her being recruited into Air Force Intelligence.[19]

NASA

NASA eventually requested her for an open position as head of security which she accepted, resigning from the Air Force bumping her to full Colonel at retirement. Becoming the youngest security captain in NASA's history, she became embroiled in the schemes of the interstellar alien Kree Empire.[22] It was during this time that she met and eventually befriended the Kree soldier Mar-Vell whose enemies would soon be responsible for her future transformation. The next few months were disastrous as she was kidnapped by the alien robotic intelligence Cyberex[23] and then hospitalized by a controlled Iron Man who attacked the Cape.[24] The alien Yon-Rogg then kidnapped her while she was still concussed and eventually battled Mar-Vell. During this battle, Carol was knocked into a damaged Kree Psyche-Magnitron, a powerful device which could turn imagination into reality. Carol's genetic structure was altered effectively making her a half-Kree superhuman. She was unaware of this change for months.[25]

Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel's first suit

Her successful career at NASA was severely damaged because of these recent events. Due to her continued inability to control superhuman incursions, she was removed and reassigned to a minor NASA facility near Chicago. Even this did not last as Carol was demoted to a mere security guard and returned to Cape Canaveral after the superhuman Nitro had raided the base. Due to her plummeting career, she resigned from NASA.[26]

Now living off an accumulated salary, Carol wrote an angry tell-all expose on NASA, burning many bridges. The best selling book briefly made Carol a celebrity and she began working as an editor for Woman Magazine, a publication owned by the Daily Bugle. However, she developed a dual personality due to the Psyche-Magnitron's alterations. She would black out and become a Kree warrior, instantaneously donning a costume in which the Psyche-Magnitron had created for her to ease her body's changes.[27]

She continued to experience these blackouts, but they did not stop her from pursuing her career as a writer and editor. She took the name Ms. Marvel after Mar-Vell. Her fragmented mind eventually recovered with the help and treatments of the extradimensional Hecate and the Kree Ronan the Accuser. She established herself as one of New York's premiere superheroes working with Spider-Man, the Defenders, and the Avengers.[28][29][30]

Joining the Avengers

Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel

After working several cases with the Avengers, Ms. Marvel was invited to join the team during the Scarlet Witch's leave of absence.[31] She quickly established herself as a valuable member, but left the team following a bizarre unwanted pregnancy caused by "Marcus", who claimed to be the son of Immortus. Marcus manipulated Carol into believing that she loved him and took her to his home in Limbo.[32] However, Marcus' plot backfired when he discovered that he aged at an accelerated rate in Limbo. Carol learned how to use Immortus' time-traveling technology and returned to her time. Upon her return she angrily confronted the Avengers expressing her resentment towards them for falling for Marcus' lies and manipulation of her, allowing him to effectively kidnap her for future defilement at his hands.[33]

Losing Powers & Meeting the X-Men

Rogue takes Ms. Marvel's powers and memories

Seeking peace of mind after the ordeal with Marcus, Carol relocated to San Francisco and chose not to resume ties with the Avengers. In a battle with the power-absorbing mutant Rogue, Danvers lost virtually all of her Ms. Marvel abilities,[34] leaving her with only her augmented genetic structure. Rogue attempted to murder her afterwards, but Carol survived floating unconscious on top of the water under the Golden Gate Bridge. Spider-Woman rescued her and alerted the Avengers and the X-Men to Carol's plight. Rogue had drained her memories, most of which were restored by mutant mentor Charles Xavier. However, Professor X could not return the emotional bonds linked to those memories. During this period, Carol was a frequent ally of the X-Men -- Xavier's team of masked, mutant heroes.[35]

Becoming Binary

Later, Carol was abducted by the alien Brood and subjected to an evolutionary ray that triggered the latent potential of her augmented genes.[36] Thus, she became the cosmically powered mutate called Binary. No longer possessed of strong emotional ties to people and places on Earth, Carol decided to leave the planet and pursue new challenges as a member of the space-faring band of adventurers known as the Starjammers.[37]

Rogue Redux

A decomposing Ms. Marvel (split from Rogue) fights against Rogue

While Carol's body was in space her memories began exerting itself within Rogue's body. The experience began driving Rogue crazy. After going through the Siege Perilous Rogue and Carol were physically split (with Rogue only having her base powers and Carol retaining her powers). Gateway teleported the two away from the Reavers with Rogue ending up in the Savage Land and Carol on Muir Island. The Shadow King took control of Carol and sent her after Rogue. Carol was decomposing as there was only enough life energy to sustain one person. As Carol started winning Rogue began decomposing. However the fight ended with Carol's death due to Magneto interfering on Rogue's behalf.[38]

Rejoining the Avengers

Returning to Earth some years later, Carol exhausted her cosmic energies to save the sun. Her powers severely depleted, she spent months recuperating at Avengers Mansion. Now known as Warbird, she eventually rejoined the team. Carol overcame emotional emptiness, alcoholism, substantially reduced power levels and a formal court martial before her teammates to prove herself as an asset among Avengers. She proved herself on many missions and was instrumental in defeating the time-spanning Kang during the Kang Wars as a result of his son, Marcus Kang XXIII's attraction to her. Carol stayed to help on a few more missions but eventually left to work for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where she was offered a high rank in one of the agencies.[39]

She was one of many Avengers who opposed the Scarlet Witch during her breakdown[40] and remained with them until they officially disbanded. A short time later, Carol found herself working alongside the New Avengers.[41]

While Earth-616 was merged with the House of M reality, Carol experienced being the most popular hero on Earth, though she was only a 'Sapien' operating under the rule of mutants. Mar-Vell dubbed her as Captain Marvel as he lay dying.[42]

New Avengers

In the aftermath of the Skrull Invasion, the entire original roster of the Mighty Avengers left the team, and Carol was no exception. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. was simultaneously disbanded, she was left without a job, and rather than stay solo, she joined the New Avengers. She adamantly refused to join Norman Osborn's team of Avengers. Officially, taking her place as Ms. Marvel on the Dark Avengers was Karla Sofen, aka Moonstone.[48]

Later, Osborn attempted to assassinate Danvers, planning on make Sofen the sole Ms. Marvel. But Danvers was split into four energy beings, who used baby MODOKs to reconstitute herself. However, she had a separate alter ego named Catherine Donovan, who in proximity to each other, would allow Danvers to increase in strength. Donovan was created by the Storyteller in an attempt to give her wish of being free from her burdens. Eventually, Donovan was killed by Norman Osborn, and fused with Moonstone. After a great realization, Karla was able to will out Donovan from her mind thus completely merging Donovan and Carol together. During her fight with Karla, Carol removed the moonstone from Karla's body leaving her powerless. Seeing Karla powerless and lost, Carol decided to give Karla back the Moonstone if she were able to redeem herself.[49]

Following the Siege of Asgard, Ms. Marvel remained a member of the New Avengers, and even admitted to being attracted to her fellow teammate Spider-Man.[11] When the Serpent attacked the Earth, Ms. Marvel, along with Spider-Woman and Noh-Varr, went to confront the Hulk, who had become Nul, Breaker of Worlds.[50]

Carol as the new Captain Marvel

War with the X-Men

When it was realized that the Phoenix Force was heading toward Earth, Ms. Marvel was part of the team sent to stall/take out the Phoenix Force if necessary at all costs.[51] She encountered a resurrected Captain Marvel, who was revived by the Kree Empire using the M'Kraan Crystal in order to unite and protect all of the Kree against the Phoenix Force.[52]

Mar-Vell along with all the other Kree and everyone powered by Kree energies are brainwashed into believing that the Phoenix brings their salvation. Vision manages to free Mar-Vell and the other Kree from the illusion but it is too late to evacuate the planet as the Phoenix draws ever closer to Hala. Mar-Vell realizes that the Phoenix is coming to claim the portion of its power that was used to resurrect him and still resides within him. He sacrifices himself to save Hala and the Phoenix departs for Earth. She realized what Mar-Vell meant for her and decide to take his legacy, becoming the new Captain Marvel in the aftermath of the war against the X-Men.[53]

The Enemy Within

While investigating various plane disappearances with Monica Rambeau, she absorbed her in energy state in order to destroy a giant robot. Back in New York, it's discovered that she had a brain lesion which would cause memory loss if she flew. While searching for her apparently disappeared friend Rose with Spider-Woman, Carol and Jessica were attacked by the Grapplers. After defeating them (but flying in order to do it) one of them revealed her that Rose was in Central Park. When Carol arrived she and Thor battled two T-Rex and found Rose and a note with her apartment's direction. When she arrived with Spider-Woman, they discovered that someone had stolen a piece of the Psyche-Magnitron.[54]

A Brood ship suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and the Avengers, including Captain Marvel, battled them. Meanwhile, Yon-Rogg was revealed to be the one who had stolen the Psyche-Magnitron and solicited the Kree to transport it back to Hala. When they refused, he combined with the Psyche-Magnitron and claimed that he was going to reform Earth. The Avengers defeated the Brood but unknown to them a Kree Sentry appeared on Earth.[55] The Sentries projected an energy field around New York when Rogg used Danvers's brain as a power source amplified by the field to recreate a Kree city in New York's sky. The Avengers planned to use Cap's shield to break the energy field, but Danvers instead flew to space to separate Rogg from his power source, which worked. Captain Marvel saved the city but suffered great brain damage in the process which cost her a big portion of her memories.[56]

Secret Wars

During the final incursion, Carol was one of the heroes that tried to stop Earth-1610 from destroying her Earth. After the vessel transporting the Earth's "resurrection team" was destroyed by the Children, Mr. Fantastic was forced to put the "lifeboat" in action. As the "lifeboat" was deployed, Manifold teleported numerous heroes into it including Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Thor, and Cyclops, and Carol herself, which allowed them to survive the end of the Multiverse.[60]

Carol and the other heroes transported onto the life raft were awakened by Doctor Strange eight years after the end of the multiverse and the creation of Battleworld, a planet cobbled together by segments of destroyed realities created and ruled by Doctor Doom.Captain Marvel and the other heroes were later transported by Strange to confront the Cabal after a distress call was sent to him by one member of the Thor Corps, and after this Doom himself appeared to quell the fighting. When Doom tried to kill them, Doctor Strange teleported them across Battleworld, but at the cost of his own life. She was teleported into the domain of Bar Sinister, where Mister Sinister's clone army captured her and brought her to the original Mister Sinister, where he then corrupted her. Later on, after a conservation with God Emperor Doom, Sinister asked her for advice. When she punches him a few times, which he seems to draw pleasure from, he resolves to be "naughty", a course she approves of. During the final battle against Doom, Sinister was convinced by her to betray Doom and kill Baroness Madelyne Pryor, which led to the restoration of the Multiverse.[61]

Civil War II

Carol's ensuing adventures together with the Ultimates provided her with a look at the scope of the different threats that could endanger the Earth at any minute, causing her to develop an intense concern for the long-term well-being of the planet.[64] Captain Marvel found a possible answer to her worries in the form of a newly-developed Inhuman called Ulysses Cain who possessed the power of precognition with an extreme degree of accuracy. Carol desired to use Ulysses' gift to preemptively tackle threats before they could even happen. However, her friend Tony Stark opposed the idea, doubting the efficacy of Ulysses' powers, and the morality behind using them to potentially convict people before commiting the crime they would be prosecuted for.

The tension between Carol and Tony increased after Carol's use of Ulysses resulted in tragedy in two different instances. First War Machine died and She-Hulk was left in a coma following a preemptive ambush on Thanos.[65] Later Bruce Banner was killed by Hawkeye after a vision foretold that Banner would have caused a tragedy during a rampage as the Hulk.[66]

Iron Man vs. Captain Marvel

After Captain Marvel arrested an innocent finance banker named Alison Green based on nothing more than a vision from Ulysses that turned out to be wrong, Iron Man enlisted the help of several superheroes who opposed profiling to attack the Triskelion and rescue Green.[67] The ensuing battle between Iron Man's and Captain Marvel's forces was cut short when a new vision announced Captain America's death at the hands of the new Spider-ManMiles Morales at the steps of the Capitol Building.[68]Black Panther subsequently deflected Captain Marvel's side publicly, giving Iron Man and his allies enough time to teleport away.[69]

Iron Man and Captain Marvel came to blows one last time after both Spider-Man and Captain America travelled to Washington, D.C. to prove the vision wrong.[70] Tony lost the fight and slipped into a coma. Meanwhile, Ulysses' powers had evolved beyond the ability of human comprehesion, and he left the Earth to join other cosmic entities.[71]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Superhuman Strength: Carol is superhumanly strong and is listed at a normal level of roughly Class 50, half her original Binary power levels.[10][72] However, since she is able to absorb various types of energy, she can use this energy to temporarily increase her physical strength to levels similar to that of her time as Binary, in which form she reaches class 100+.[45]

Superhuman Speed: She is capable of running and accelerating to high speeds which a human could never achieve.

Superhuman Stamina: Carol's musculature produces considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. She can physically exert herself at peak capacity for about 24 hours before fatigue begins to impair her. However, she is capable of channeling absorbed energy to further increase her stamina to higher levels.

Superhuman Durability: The tissues of her body are considerably harder and more resistant to physical injury than those of an ordinary human. Ms. Marvel is capable of withstanding high caliber bullets, great impact forces, falls from great heights, exposure to temperature and pressure extremes, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining any injury. While channeling the energy she has absorbed, her body's resilience is extended to an even greater degree. Recently, she has proved capable of surviving and fighting in the vacuum of space, only requiring an air supply to do so.

Superhuman Agility: Carol's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.

Superhuman Reflexes: Her reflexes are heightened in a similar manner and are superior to those of the finest human athlete.

Flight: Carol is capable of propelling herself through the air and the vacuum of space at tremendous speeds. Although her top speed is unknown, she has been shown flying at three times speed of sound for several hours, so it is likely she can go much faster.

Flash Precognition/Cosmic Awareness/Hyper-Cosmic Awareness: Part of her original power set as Ms. Marvel, Carol was subconsciously able to anticipate the moves of her opponents, though this power was not exactly reliable and activated randomly. After Rogue robbed her of her powers, she was subsequently transformed into Binary. After these powers faded, it seems that Carol's Seventh Sense has returned. T'challa theorized that when the Kree Psychi-Magnitron that gave Carol her powers, that she inherited some of Captain Mar-Vell's abilities during exposure to it. In that sense her travels across Exospace and the like have bolstered this aspect of her powers to see the cage outside of reality that's binding The Marvel Universe.[73]

Contaminant Immunity: Carol possesses an amalgamated human/alien Kree physiology that granted her a degree of immunity to toxins and poisons.

Photonic Blasts: Carol can fire powerful concussion blasts of photon and stellar light energy from her hands and fingertips.

Energy Absorption: Her body is capable of absorbing various types of energy for the purpose of temporarily enhancing her own physical attributes. She can augment her strength and energy projection up to the force of an exploding nuclear weapon.[74] If empowered by enough energy, she can assume her Binary form again temporarily.

Regenerative Healing Factor: The absorbed energy increases the potency of her metabolism, allowing her to quickly regenerate from catastrophic wounds.

Minor Molecular Control: She can use absorbed energy to transform her regular clothing into her costume and vice-versa.

Binary Powers

As Binary, Carol was once linked to the power of a white hole and was able to generate heat, light, radiation and access all other forms of energy along the electromagnetic spectrum on an almost solar scale. She also had minor control over gravity. She could breathe in space and travel at the speed of light. After this link was severed, she could no longer do so on the level she once had. However, the capacity for this power still remains within her.

Abilities

Experienced Spy: Carol is an experienced spy, having worked various undercover operations for NASA.

Multilingual: Carol is fluent in English, Russian, and another unknown Earth language, as well as Kree, and Shi'ar languages. She speaks passable Rajaki and has a limited vocabulary in many other languages.

Master Pilot: Carol is an accomplished pilot, having extensive experience with USAF planes as well as with Kree, Shi'ar and other alien starships.

Master Combatant: She is extensively trained in armed and unarmed combat through Military Combatives.

Talented Journalist: Carol is a talented journalist excelling as a freelance writer and magazine editor.

Notes

At the time that she lost her memories (due to Rogue), Carol was reportedly 29-years-old. She was a retired Major of the United States Air Force. She was also chief of security at the Kennedy Space Center, and former editor of Woman Magazine. Her Air Force file was classified, but she was reportedly one of the best people they had. Top-notch pilot, fluent in three languages, and expert in armed and unarmed combat. Carol was single and her last known residence was in Greenwich Village. She had disappeared six months before her apparent "suicide". [33]

Trivia

In Uncanny X-Men #153, Carol is shown wearing a shirt with the symbol of DC Comics' Captain Marvel on it.